The Prophecies of the Dragon play a massive role in Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's The Wheel of Time, and showrunner Rafe Judkins has clarified some of the changes Amazon is implementing in its adaptation of the beloved fantasy series.
In a Nov. 24 AMA on Reddit, a user touched on the "concern" that "a woman can be the Dragon." The user asked, "Why was this change made if the Dragon is going to be the same anyway?" and said such a change would alter "a lot in the world Jordan created." Judkins answered, "The change we made was not just with the fact that a woman could be the Dragon, the core change was that people are not 100% convinced that these 3000-year-old prophecies are 100% accurate."
Judkins went on to justify the alteration, saying it works better within the world of the show. "You see the characters questioning the prophecies of the Dragon and the details of it much more in the show than in the books (although there are some scenes in the books that show this as well, we've just expanded on that). It seems quite trusting for the Aes Sedai, who trust no one, and especially Moiraine, who trusts less than no one, to believe with 100% certainty anything that was written thousands of years ago."
In the books, The Prophecies of the Dragon foretell the coming of a male champion who is set to battle and defeat the Dark One. The Dragon Reborn, as the champion is called, is a reincarnation with unimaginable power at his disposal. Before the events that follow Rand al'Thor, the series' main protagonist, the version of the Dragon who exists nearly brings the world to an end.
Judkins' answer shows that Amazon's The Wheel of Time is set in a world of skepticism when it comes to the Dragon, the Dragon Reborn and the entire premise of The Prophecies of the Dragon. The series features some prominent factions like the Children of the Light, a zealous military organization that will no doubt be heavily invested in everything involving the Dragon, especially since the prophecies are banned throughout the lands of The Wheel of Time.
Three episodes of The Wheel of Time have aired so far, with reception being mostly positive. Judkins recently revealed that his toughest critic is his mom, stating, "So many people love these books so much. And nobody is a tougher critic than my mom. I send the scripts to her to get an opinion, and she always tells me the truth. 'You screwed up on this, and you gotta fix it.'" The series has already been renewed for a second season and it currently sits among Prime Video's most-watched premieres.
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time are available to stream on Prime Video.
Source: Reddit